I named my child Ezekiel for a number of reasons. One, I wanted him to have a different name than other kids in his class. I grew up as a Laurie and was surrounded by Loris. One time i was in a class and we all got together...in a row, so it was Laurie, Laurie, Lori, Lori. just to drive our teacher crazy. My journalism teacher insisted on calling me Laura, as did my own grandmother.

Second...His biological dad's nickname (although I don't know why) was Zeke.

For little miss don't play the religious thing, I knew Ezekiel was a biblical name. Imagine my surprise when we went into a southern jr. high to get his schedule and all but one lady actually didn't know how to say his name. and the one lady who did commented "that's a good biblical name" every one else wanted to pronounce it hezekiah, like the dude who founded Charlotte. He is also constantly called Zack.

unfortunately, zeke in the US is considered an ignorant hillbilly name. and for this, i deeply regret. I picked that name in part when I watched "how the west was won" series. He was supposed to have Seth as his middle name but I caved to his (now absent) father. although i've always called him zekey-poo (which some girls automatically call him, so i've kind of stopped calling him that) or z-man. a much more hipper version, DJ Z-Man, can you hear it now? now i just call him Z (i used to read dr. suess's ABC book to him and he loved it when i got to the letter Z!)

When he was younger, a skateboard clothing company made clothing with Ezekiel printed on it. Several friends said, "wow, that is cool to have a clothing company bear your name!" he hopes to get his name, per the company logo, tattooed on his back (a promise his dad made but still has yet to come through on)

Unfortunately, the clothing company went the way of winter sports as opposed to skateboarding/inline skating.

Samuel L. Jackson's character, Jules, in Pulp Fiction, added bits from the 23rd Psalm to his rhetoric: but recited the majority from Ezekiel 25:17.

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides with the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon those with great vengeance and with furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know that my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."

Here's Jackson's (or Tarrantino's) alteration of the passage.

"And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them."

Z is agnostic. I'm reminded of my failure by my parents, my mother in particular, my husband and Ibrihama. Because that is the mother's duty, to help the child find religion. and my own mother cries (and know I know it's because that is on her shoulders) because she failed to do that (one jew, one didn't go to church, and one agnostic,) per her ideological beliefs the blame is on her, according to most religions. does that seem right? not by any means. and honestly, my mom is brainwashed. I know she sees the underlying hypocrisy of it all. She just chooses to stay where she's at and not look at the bigger picture.

Who in their right mind could believe only 200,000 Southern Baptist are worthy of heaven?

believe it or not, I did visit a church last weekend. the preacher was good, entertaining (that does help) however I'm now leaning more towards the Ba'hai faith. They are more of the "live and let live" faith and in all honesty, they won't chastise me for killing a bug (that leaves Buddism out)